Americans depend on the police force to keep them safe. Policemen put their lives on the line to protect us. However, they sometimes cause injustice and inequality. Racial profiling—the intended targeting by the police of a specific race or ethnicity—can take many forms, from stopping a disproportionate number of minorities on the freeway to randomly searching minorities on the streets. When it occurs, an unfair number of minorities are unjustifiably stopped, and a disproportionate number are convicted of crimes such as those dealing with drugs. In reality, many white people are committing the same crimes, but are less likely to be stopped and convicted. CCRBs These
are positive actions, but they have not been taken far enough. For instance, while the
CCRBs in New York City received 25,800 complaints between 1993 and 1998, only 8,700 were
fully investigated. In the end, only 1.5% of all complaints ended in disciplinary action.*
New York, like other cities, also limits citizen participation in reviewing police
actions. Citizens can only passively view investigations conducted by the police’s
own internal affairs bureaus. More must be done to ensure the effectiveness of CCRBs and to allow citizens to review data that is not controlled by the police. Every case with serious evidence of misconduct should be thoroughly evaluated. If substantiated, punitive action against officers should be consistently enforced. Prospects
for Reform Police reform can encourage civilians to trust the police to protect them, and, in turn, to assist the police in protecting others. As long as the public is frightened of the police, crime enforcement will be difficult - fewer people will understand that it is in their best interest to work with the police to help their own communities. Communities composed of minorities, which are disproportionately affected by police misconduct, are especially prone to distrust the police. Police refusal to publicly admit their flaws also encourages citizens’ skepticism. To gain communities’ trust, police must be held fully accountable for all of their actions and consistently act as positive role models in these communities. Many reforms may be necessary in order to restore citizens’ trust in the police. Hopefully, after more discourse within the community and help from the government, racial profiling will no longer be an issue. By Katherine Bromberg, Hearts and Minds Volunteer
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